TOLEDO, Ohio, May 19, 2009 – In September 2008, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Board of Directors awarded United North Community Development Corporation a $13,500 grant to pursue a United States Environmental Protection Agency Community Wide Assessment Grant. United North was successful with this grant application and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the City of Toledo were recently awarded the $400,000 EPA grant. These dollars will allow approximately 300 acres of land located on the west bank of the Maumee River between the Veterans’ Glass City Memorial Skyway and Walnut Street and the Swan Creek Revitalization Area to be environmentally characterized. This is the first step in allowing that land to be redeveloped and compliments the work being done on the east bank of the Maumee River.

“I commend Terry Glazer and the United North team for having the vision to seek out this EPA Grant,” says Michael J. Stolarczyk, President of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. “Terry organized these efforts and brought the key partners to the table to parlay a $13,500 investment into a $400,000 win for our community. This is an excellent example of how our local agencies can partner with our CDC’s to implement their missions and visions to revitalize our neighborhoods.”

The $400,000 U.S. EPA Community Wide Assessment Grant funds include $200,000 for hazardous materials assessments and $200,000 for petroleum substance assessments. The grant funds may also be used for eligible properties in the 300-acre submitted area that are in need of site assessment work in order to identify environmental contamination and help jump-start the clean up and redevelopment of these environmentally challenged properties.

These completed site assessments will help initiate property transactions, environmental revitalization and the eventual redevelopment of these areas. Additional funds for environmental remediation will also be requested from the Clean Ohio Funds, U.S. EPA Cleanup Funds, private developers and other resources. The grant dollars awarded to United North come from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority tax levy funds and are part of the resources the Port Authority sets aside for land development. Traditionally these funds go toward land acquisition, remediation and associated activities, such as the environmental characterizations for these brownfields.

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority’s business is transportation. That business is shaped by our mission to move people and cargo through the region while employing innovative finance programs to stimulate economic development. For more information, please visit www.toledoportauthority.org.